Improvement in harvesters



2 Sheets--Sheet 1.

J. H ARRIS. Improvement in Han/esters.

Patented July 9,1872.

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2 Sheets-SheeHI j. HARRIS.

Improvement in Harvsters.

A Patented july 9,1872.'

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'provement in Harvesters clare that the following is a full and eXact de- JAMES HARRIS, OF JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGN OR TO HARRIS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, vOF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters` Patent No. 128,726, vdated July 9, 1872.

SPECIFICATION. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES HARRIs, of Janesville, in the county of Rock and State of Wisconsin, have invented anew and useful Imand I do hereby description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention consists mainly in the combination of mechanism for elevating or depressing the platform, with mechanism for giving it an equal or nearly equal vertical movement front and rear; and, also, in mechanism for giving the cutter-bar arolling-down movement at a certain period in the descent of the platform. Y

In the drawing, Figure l represents a plan view of a harvester having my improvements applied thereto; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same partially in section; Fig. 3, a view of the rake-standard and the devices which actuate it, detached. Fig. 4 represents a side elevation of the right side ofthe machine with portions broken away to show the mechanism for elevating and depressing the platform; and

- Fig. 5 represents a plan view of the shaft which is located beneath the cutter-bar, and its attachments, which are operated to regulate the height of the platform.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe fully its construction and manner of operation.

As my invention does not relate to the general construction of the harvester, nor to the rake-operating mechanism, these parts will not be described in detail; nor will the devices for elevating and depressing the platforms be particularly described, as they form the subject of my patent of July 28, 1868, No. 80,479.

A represents the main frame, which rests upon thewheel B, provided with the shaft b,

revolving in suitable bearings, as shown. This frame is hinged to the tongue in front and to the cutter-bar having4 the platform attached in rear. C represents.a spur-wheel attached to the outer end of shaft b, from which motion is communicated by means of a chain to the v spur-wheel D upon the shaft E, which latter is provided upon its inner end with a pinion for driving the mechanism for operating the rake. The outer end of the shaft is supported in bearings attached to the main frame, while its inner end is secured to the standard F, supporting the rake-operating mechanism, which standard rests upon the hinged cutter-bar. As the position of the cutter-bar relatively to the main frame varies at times, the shaftE is provided with universal joints, as shown, and it is also made longitudinally adjustable in its bearing upon the main frame.

The specific devices for operating the platform, which are novel in this application, will now be` described. grepresents a connectinglink or bar, one end of which is1 suitably attached to the upper end of the standard F, and the other to the center of the bar h, pivoted at its lower end to the main frame, and connected at its upper end, by means of the bar c', to the vertical arm j upon the shaft x. The vertical arln j is connected, by the bar k, to the hand-lever l, as shown. These devices, in connection with the devices for operatin g the platform in my patent above referred to,l operate to give the platform, when the hand-lever is moved to depress it, an equal or nearly equal movement front and rear during the first portion of its movement, and then a rolling-down movement, by which means the knives are adapted to cut short or lodged grain or grass. In elevating the platform the reverse of the operation above described of course takes place. In the employment of the elevating and depressing devices coveredby myformer patent the platform was moved in the line of a circle, the center of which was the axle of the main driving-wheel, by which means the rear of the platform was raised so high at times that it was rendered impossible for the gavels to come off in good order. When the platform was depressed, also, the knives, instead of being rolled down into position adapted to cut low grain or grass, were, of course, higher than the rear end of the platform, as they were located on a line drawn from the rear end of the platform to the axle' of the main drivingwheel. These. difficulties are entirely obviated by the employment of the devices sought to be patented.

The operation of the devices for operating the platform will now be described in detail: The hand-1ever l is moved in a forward direction to depress the platform, and in a rearward direction to elevate it. It is immediately connected by means of the bar 7c to the vertical arm j upon the cutter-bar, which arm is rigidly attached to the shaft x, Figs. 4 an l 5, running beneath the cutter-bar to the supporting-wheel upon the outer end of the platfcrm. The movement of the lever causes the arm j to swing forward or backward, as the case may be, and thus operate the shaft to elevate or depress the platform. The movement of the arm j is communicated to the rake-standard by means of the adjustable bar t', bar h, and link By means of these connections the upper end of the rakestandard receives also a swinging movement forward or backward when the lever is operated, by which means the platform receives a relative movement front and rear independent of its elevation or depression. The parts are so adjusted relatively to each other that the rake-standard in its movement tends, as the platform sinks, to keep the front and rear level, instead of permitting the rear end to describe the arc of a circle, until the properpoint is reached, when its forward move ment gives the platform arolling-down movement.

'lo explain more fully, we will suppose the platform to be elevated, and to be adjusted so as to be level front and rear, as it may be with these devices. Let the lever now be operated to depress the platform. Under the old construction the movement would cause the rear end of the platform at once to sink lower than the front end, in consequence of the former being further removed from the center of motion. With this construction, however, as the vertical arm j swings forward to depress the platform, the rake-standard also is moved forward by means of its connections, by which means the platform is swung upon its hinges, and its rear end is thereby raised sufficiently to compensatefor the difference of movement between it and the front part. By this means the vertical movements of the front and rear are equalized, or nearly so, during the first part -of the movement. During this part of the movement the bar h and link g, which directly actuate the rake-standard, give it a slow movement in harmony with the vertical movement of the platform. When, however, the bar h has passed a perpendicular line the slow movement is changed to a rapid one, by which means the rolling-down motion is given to the platform, as follows: When the platform is in an elevated position the bar h is inclined in a rearward direction, and as the platform descends it is gradually s wung forward on its pivot, by means of the a leaves connections described, to a vertical position, and from thence is made to incline in a forward direction. As the rakestandard to which the link g is attached descends with the platform the end of the link g attached to it will necessarily descend with it in its movement. The movement of the handdever then causes the arm h to swing over in a forward direction, and the rear end of link g to swing downward. It follows, therefore, that the downward movement of the link g to 'some extent compensates for the forward movement of the bar h, so that the rake-standard is given a slow movement only until the bar h swings past the vertical line, when, of course, the latter draws with it the link g, and also the upper end of the rake-standard F, by which means the platform is swung on its pivots, and the cutterbar caused to roll the guards and knives down toward the ground.

It is not essential, of course, that the rakestandard should be employed for moving the platform, as any suitable standard may be .used for that purpose.

From this description it will be understood that three r iff@ ent movements are produced by the mec ianism described. First, the platform is elevated and depressed through the mechanism of the shaft .r and its attachments. Second, the vertical movement of the platform is made equal front and rear during the rst part of its descending movement, through the medium of the standard F, the bar h, and link g, and their connections. Third, the latter por tion of the descending movement of the platn form is changed from a movement that is equal, front and rear, to a rolling-down movement, through the medium of the standard F, the bar h, and link g, and their connections, the operation of these devices being entirely different in the different stages of the movement of the platform.

Marked advantages are obtained by this construction, as the platform may always be kept practically level except when it is necessaryto depress the knives very low. for the purpose of cutting clo'se or lodged grass or grain. The jointed shaft permits connection to be made without difliculty between the mainy frame and the cutter-bar, the positions of which constantly vary relatively to each other. The employment of a chain to communicate motion between the spur-wheels permits the spur-wheel D to move with the longitudinal movement of the shaft E without affecting the connection between the two.

If desired, the devices might be adjusted to give simply the equalizing movement front and rear, without the rollin g-down movement, or the opposite.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to. secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a harvester having a main frame hinged to the tongue in front and to the cut* ter-bar in rear, supported by the wheel-axle, and provided with devices, substantially as described, for regulating its height, I claim a standard, link, and pivoted bar connecting the malin frame to the platform and lever connection with the hinged tongue, substantially as described, for equalizing the movement of the platform front and rear, and for giving it a rolling-down movement, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the standard F, the

iink g, bars h and i, arm j, bar 7c, lever l, and

shaft .'v, al1 arranged as described, for the purpose set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 6th day of September, 1871.

. JAMES HARRIS. Witnesses:

L. L. ROBINSON, OBED DANN. 

